Poet Kai Carlson-Wee and writer Audrey Petty were in Casper for the 30th annual Humanities Festival. Both read and gave presentations on campus to full houses. It was a great week filled with lively conversation and interesting takes on life. These two are sweet, generous people who can really put words on the page. I can't wait to see what they do next.

Mike Bailey and I braved the winds to catch the first trout of the season. We parked the truck and walked a half mile in to an area that was surrounded by nothing but sage and snow drifts. The fish are in good shape. We landed nothing but fat 16 and 17 inch rainbows. Red rock worms did the trick. But the lowly orange scud worked its magic too. I don't tie many flies anymore. Still I can't make myself buy rock worms at two buck a piece. I tie 20 in the winter and try to make them last. We didn't see a boat or anyone else all day. There's still shelf ice, but all indications point to a banner year for trout fishing in America.

Yesterday I traveled to Rock Springs to do a workshop and a reading. I had a blast with the students and the faculty at Western Wyoming College. That college might be one of the best kept secrets in Wyoming. I put it right up there with The Wyoming Range, and Coal Creek Coffee. The faculty there are literate, kind people with impressive publications. We closed a bar down drinking IPAs and talking about books.

Check out my new essay in The Retriever Journal. I'm honored to be in the same feature with Dr. Don Thomas. His essays have graced the outdoor publishing world for as long as I can remember. In this issue he has a stunning short story. Meanwhile, I might have sold a short story of my own. As the free lance lifestyle goes, you never know until you know.